DRIVING THE DAY

(ANOTHER) BREXIT DAY: A significant day for Brexit dawns with the EU (Withdrawal) Bill back in the Commons for its second reading. Parliament has a helpful explainer here. Brexit Secretary David Davis will open the two-day debate at around 11.30 a.m., having already faced DExEU questions two hours earlier. Votes won’t be held until Monday night. Davis’s aim today is to avoid Tory splits by reassuring worried MPs the bill is not a government power grab.

DExEU at war: But Davis is already facing deep splits inside his own department, POLITICO’s Charlie Cooper reports today. Cooper spoke to six DExEU officials who confirmed a serious “schism” between Davis and his most senior civil servant, Olly Robbins, earlier this year. The pair have clashed repeatedly and a not-quite-altercation followed.

Cabinet at war: Meanwhile the cabinet is also badly divided over the Home Office’s leaked immigration plan. The Tel names Philip Hammond and Amber Rudd as two senior ministers refusing to back the proposals, while the Times adds Damian Green’s name into the mix — helpfully he has a broadcast round this morning. An unnamed cabinet minister told Newsnight’s Nick Watt said there is “no way” one Home Office proposal — a plan to fingerprint certain EU migrants — will go ahead.

Labour at war: Some 36 hours since the leaked document was published, and Labour’s shadow cabinet has yet to respond. The Guardian’s Rowena Mason says agonizing talks are ongoing within a party still deeply divided over immigration. HuffPost’s Paul Waugh warns a battle is now looming at Labour’s party conference over whether to support free movement after Brexit.

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Starmer the peacemaker? In a Playbook interview, Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer today urges Tory rebels to act “in the public interest” and join Labour in opposing the EU Bill. He also seeks to reassure potential Labour rebels from pro-Brexit constituencies that a no vote is not an attempt to stop Brexit. A group of 35 worried Labour MPs met with Starmer last night, with some mulling whether to defy a three-line whip and abstain.

Today’s big battle: Late last night the government published the program motion which decides the amount of time allowed for debate. Whips are offering just eight days in committee stage for a landmark bill which will trigger the most dramatic constitutional upheaval since the war. By contrast the European Communities Act — through which Britain joined the EU — was debated for 22 days. Maastricht for 23. Keep an eye on Tory rebels — the program motion must also be voted through on Monday night.

MEANWHILE IN BRUSSELS

ALSO AT 11.30am: As Davis rises to his feet in the Commons, his opposite number Michel Barnier is scheduled to hold a press conference in Brussels to unveil a raft of new Brexit position papers. Live feed here. Several of the documents covering geographical indicators, data protection and the Irish border were leaked to the FT, the Guardian and the Independent last night. They sparked a minor storm here in the U.K., although observers in Brussels tell Playbook the contents were largely as expected.

Beware the European Parliament: The President of the EP will today recommend postponing until December the assessment of whether the Brexit talks have made “sufficient progress” to move onto trade talks. Antonio Tajani told POLITICO’s Giulia Paravicini he feels the EU has received “only foggy proposals” from Britain so far, and should not allow talks to move onto a trade deal in October. It’s not up to him though — the final decision still rests with the EU Council.

One chink of light: Liam Fox tells POLITICO that U.K. and EU negotiators are close to agreeing what share of the EU’s massive food import quotas Britain will inherit after Brexit. The International Trade Secretary described the impending agreement on quotas (TRQs if you want to sound smart) as the one area of Brexit talks where there had been “substantial progress.” More here for POLITICO Pro Trade subscribers.

A way forward? Theresa May’s ex-Chief of Staff Nick Timothy insists Brexit deadlock will eventually be broken. Writing in the Telegraph he suggests the U.K. and EU will compromise on free movement by agreeing preferential immigration systems for one another’s citizens, and solve the ECJ issue by setting up a joint panel of British & EU judges to resolve conflicts.

STORM WARNING

UPDATE ON IRMA: Spare a thought for everyone in the Caribbean where the worst storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean is leaving a trail of destruction. The Guardian has a live blog here. This extraordinary home video gives you some idea of what residents are facing. Boris Johnson said last night he has spoken to the Chief Minister of Anguilla, an overseas British territory which has been hit hard. A British naval ship is on standby to help. Advice for British nationals here.

BACK IN WESTMINSTER

GIVE ME A CLUE: Philip Hammond told the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs last night that he wants to help young people in his upcoming budget. The Sun’s Harry Cole says he asked for written submissions from MPs on how the party could help students, house-hunters and jobseekers in a bid to win back support from Labour. May will be happy — Hammond’s comments chime strikingly with demands coming out of No. 10 this week for renewed focus on domestic reform.

This might help: Theresa May’s former policy chief John Godfrey is speaking at a Policy Exchange event titled “The New Politics of Housing” in Westminster tonight.

REMEMBER ME? Also at the 1922 last night was David Cameron, who was cheered to the rafters as he made a series of dad jokes and received a signed first edition of Winston Churchill’s memoir. Owen Bennett at HuffPost has more.

WHAT TORIES ARE GOSSIPING ABOUT: Talk of the tearooms is the future of Sir Patrick McLoughlin, the long-serving Tory chairman who is being widely blamed for the 2017 election fiasco. (Mark Wallace at Conservative Home is running an in-depth series this week on what went wrong — see the first two articles here and here). Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg names have already been bandied about. Now a friend of Iain Duncan Smith tells me he would love the job … Watch this space.

WHAT TORIES ARE LAUGHING ABOUT: Conservative MPs are taking great delight in daring one another to approach new Labour MP Laura Pidcock, who famously said she could never be friends with a Tory. “We’re always as nice as possible,” one smiles.

UNI PAY CRACKDOWN: Universities Minister Jo Johnson will announce a crackdown on the pay packets of university vice-chancellors in a speech that makes the Times splash. Johnson has also written an op ed in the Telegraph.

NORTH KOREA UPDATE: Jo’s brother Boris heads to Estonia today for a meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers — with North Korea top of the agenda. An aid tells Playbook that Johnson will tell his European counterparts that “China must do more.”

Key line: “Mr Rees-Mogg’s crime is that he is not politically correct.”

BEYOND THE M25

McBARNIER: Michel Barnier is to meet with Members of the Scottish Parliament next week to give an update on the Brexit talks. Members of Holyrood’s European Committee plan to use next Monday’s summit to raise concerns about the impact of Brexit on Scotland, the Scotsman reports.

This from Brussels

MORE TO ME THAN BREXIT: In an interview with POLITICO ahead of his annual State of the Union speech next week, Jean-Claude Juncker tells Florian Eder and David M. Herszenhorn he’s going down in history as more than just the man who lost Britain. Join the queue, Juncker.

This from DC

SNEAK PEEK: Hillary Clinton’s memoir of the 2016 election is not released until next week but CNN have nabbed a copy from a random bookshop in Florida. They pick out the highlights here.

And this from New Zealand

YOUNG REPUBLICAN: The 37-year-old woman on course to become the next prime minister of New Zealand wants to cut ties with the Queen, the Times reports.

LONDON CALLING

Westminster weather: ☁️☁️☁️ Cloudy but bright, and with the risk of an odd shower. Meh.

Hot off the press: Lib Dem leader Vince Cable’s first novel Open Arms is released today … Labour MP Chris Bryant’s book on the British aristocracy, Entitled, is also released today. Find extended extracts in the Guardian.

Spotted last night: Female politicians were out in force last night for a cocktail night celebrating the revived women’s lobby, now led by BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg and Sunday Times Deputy Political Editor Caroline Wheeler. Among the MPs and Ministers present at the party — hosted by iNHouse Communications — were Karen Bradley, Yvette Cooper, Rachel Reeves, Jess Phillips, Lucy Powell, Luciana Berger, Therese Coffey, Victoria Prentis and Antoinette Sandbach. Cocktails on offer included the “Bloody Difficult Woman” and “Brex on the Beach.”

Also spotted last night: Tom Watson hosting a drinks event at Cucina on the South Bank for creative industries types … Evan Harris was among those present.

Spotted on Tuesday night: Downing Street Chief of Staff Gavin Barwell trying to charm Brexit rebel Anna Soubry over a chicken tikka masala, according to the Times diary.

New starts: Former G4S executive and Bluebirds XI football skipper Hudson Roe started as Sir Patrick McLoughlin’s new SpAd this week. He replaces Paul Holmes, who has gone to work for Damian Green in the cabinet office.

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